EU member states call to reassess Syria’s security situation
Eight European Union (EU) member states have called to reassess Syria’s security situation to facilitate the voluntary return of Syrian refugees, according to Arab News and other agencies on May 17th.
Officials from Austria, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Malta and Poland issued a joint statement advocating for an evaluation of if Syria is safe, to enable “more effective ways of handling” Syrian refugees.
They said that conditions in Syria have “considerably evolved”, adding that “Decisions as to who has the right to cross a member state’s borders, should be taken by the government of the relevant member state and not by criminal networks engaged in migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings,”.
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Talks with the EU member states were held in Cyprus, which has seen unprecedented levels of Syrian refugees arriving in 2024, mostly from Lebanon.
A Cypriot official, who chose to remain anonymous, said that re-assessing Syria’s conditions would not lead to involuntary deportations.
But deeming Syria safe would mean refugees would lose allowances, benefits, and the right to work in Cyprus – effectively discouraging those seeking asylum through making life untenable.
Cyprus suspended the processing of Syrian asylum applications in April.
And it’s not just the EU cracking down on Syrian refugees.
In early May Lebanon agreed to a 1-billion-euro package with the EU to stem the flow of refugees by tightening border controls.
Anti-Syrian sentiment has also been brewing recently in Lebanon, with over 300 Syrians forcibly returned to their homeland.
The murder of a Christian Lebanese politician in April was blamed on Syrian nationals, straining long-standing tensions between Lebanese authorities and its minority refugee community.
Arab News / Agencies
